Smyrna times., 1887-08-31
TROPHIES OF THE WAR.
A GLANCE AT THE CAPTURED CON-
FEDERATE FLAGS.
STORY Told by the EmbIems of a Lost
Cause-Banners of Silk and Bannors
OF Tatters-HOw the Flags Are Kent.

Cause-Banners of Silk and Bannor.
ot Tatters-HOw the Flags Are Kent.
carried by an elevator five stories nm
uhuer the roof of the war denartrnont
almost burning in this Washington snT'
@ Intr weather, the key being turned bv INV
Sulue III the door of an attic room. 7 stood
an instant later in little space hardly
IDoiG Ilan ten feet square, nearly within
te"ciilHg distance on all sides of these hat
teIeu liomentos of the war, the verv men
cO 600 t noM men mas set afire the hearts of
G,TOo;ToO Oh people-a few rags saturated
D. vn 'lic explosive wash of patriotism
tI'i' tIto 'l ene llrSC thought on seeing them in
@ Sili9 PeuC up space OF attic is of the small
ness OF the cause to the size of the effect
The flags heaped about the room onnoor
az llrst sight only handful at the moet
DuC counted separately there are 75O in
al, over 900 of them being Confedoroto
ana the remainder Federal flags recont,,rod
from thelr captors. One half of the entire
NUMBER II are attached to their slaves nc
they were originally taken, the flags of
o tilo Two SectlOns being stacked in separate
ti'isSeS against two sides of the room
iacins the other half folded and Drotrnd,
lIIS IIIS from pigeon holes on the opposite walls
AHe slSnI OF the Stars and StriDes keens
always familiar But the first lool, ot tI,o
uarK red heap of the banners of the rabeI-
liCn, pred here against the side of tho o.
Ulc' blots out twenty-five years from tho
memory and brings back as if If voro
yesterday the red years when they wovad
aC tne head of their regiments. There iS
nardly llaS among them all that has not
lts history recorded in the book in tbo
hands OF the keeper of the room. All
nearly are riddled with bullets, and many
IKE those carried through such battles .s
Ihe =" ilderness and the second Bull RIM
were shot literally into tatters and almost
unrecognizable sprays of rag.
A SIGNIFICANT CONTRAST.
Inc contrast in the appearance of the
southern anu Union standards is sionifi-
cant OF the history of the war. The latter
are rugged on clean, polished poles ond
are OF hrm, rich material. MANY of them
OF silk, showing an abundance in tba
horth OF the fabrics of which thew contine
ued TO be made. The majority of tha
confederate flags are of the wretcbadost
shOudy bunting, miserable in color no in
substance, while great numbers of them |
are mounted on rude, Embarked pads and |
saplngs, hastily cut from the woods on |
the march-recalling the blockade and the |
days when war had fallen on a
sectlon without manufactures. and tho |
intense, desperate purpose Of a people for
5ot seemllness and absorbed everv tbouobt
Out the winning of their fight.
Mahy OF the flags lying folded in sba !
Jo1es ana taken out to be exhibited bv
ne guardian OF the room recall still mora
lFIuIy the narrow straits of rebellion an
~ iasI iegs, being literally Independent Of
'l9Ot n|], liiIiaIlOn IN color and made of
49, ,l'.Cnes from WOmen's dresses and under
'4ie-s, Ailts u nearly every hue and material
~, 'ul el. reminders OF the Spartan poverty
~ ~ OuIaBe uIi Ihat were still to fail of their
: ~. tL,-lt" Ine1e are some exceptions, however,
n this stOrerOOm of battle tronbies 10 tboaI1
of the sterner days of tbo 80
Or the south. The attendant drew froT,
ne pigeon holes on the walls and unfoI5oJ
Dr my inspection three or fOur moOni-
eht banners Of heavy silk, frinped With
tssels OF gold and Ornamented with
lcIureS IN oil and rich embroiderings ON
ueIu Oh blue These flags represent the
|, iriy ana halcyon days of the lost cause
heh thcy were made by local associa.
On9 ol ladies' and presented TO the mill
ny organizations which carried them '
ne oI 'hose llags belonged to the Anna {
chlco!a guard, whose name is stitched O
gold letters on its fold above the ex- T
lCdh' lnottOes: I'm God is Our Trustri 1
Our Rights We VIII Maintainp, Tho b
nest OF them all is the banner "presentpd v
the ladies of Norfolk to the NorfoII- c
ght artillery" with an oil portrait Of p
ashlhgton III the center Of its field the q
oLtoc@ on the reverse side being the Same q
those OF the flag just described Il
LUXURY IN DESIGNS. o
Inc days when the Confederate armies =
uld afford such luxury in ensignS 81
-lcAly PASSED away, however, as is eyi-
need by the collection, representa-,
cry period Of the war. In the beoin9
lg OF the civil war the design of the flao Y
rrlea by the southern regiments was th
aI oi The Stars and Bars-two red bars 70
u one Whlte-changing at later period I'll
red Held with the Southern Cross re- -
mblIhg the British Union Jack A sB
hIy OF the record kept by the war de- in
Intent OF the name and capture of each sh
',GSc uaSs, though a work Of DAYS. ca
',lu IL. oe Oh intense interest to the veteran lie
ulcr' IL would recall to him the cpl ga
y, lGs ol triumph ON half the fields of the ca
II war The sight of the flags Them he
YES would do something more-onick- re
ing his heart beats with memories of ba
great fight. That not a few of these M
ldard' have been the centers of deadly re
'sonal encounter is evident from the Ov
hefouS Llo0d stains still traceable 11Don WI
III. Inc slaves, also, of many of them av
ragged with the gnaw of bullets. the AL
u ii ,o;Ae Instances piercing their CEN de
; ali. fciAaianS imbedded in the wood en-
u '-'.'', IN tact in the appearance of be
Whole collection, as it is piled here in ste
h'1rfOW gIrrct, faded and sOiled and Co
tered, shows that these are no banners inl
loLdiy parade, but have passed thrOuph do
IRE and extremity of actual war-fbe ser
foWiul weeds blasted and fallen from to
wrath For myself, not a soldier. but gre
.sIetS OF Washington during the war Pa
loti' 1 recalled the stirring incidents of
u Presentation to the war department
,lhey were brought straight from the !
Is OF their capture. sta
n one of these occasions thirty Of +Ioso Dri
ldGrds, as l remember, were carried mil
two days after the fight Mt Wincbps. fro
by delegation of soldiers whose hands tiol
actually seized them in the fi0bt ing
Icr ! Wlth his long, yellow hair, at their Ha
L. stanton, the grim secretary. nm to
y stanton loved results, and these gui
the p2lpable evidences Of triumpb age
hng out OF the lions den of his office eve
ook each soldier by the hand and vel low
ed t1eG as body with a speech. AS ber
little group stood before his door the
hlh$ to his address, the captured of
dards held above their heads in tho the
ow hall of the old war department trip
{, g I" picturesque cloud of color, which, viii
Ihcr Nltl the entire scene, it was not sary
to forget. When the affair was over to /
soldiers started again for the field. the
stanton, taking Custer's arm. walked rem
ly down the steps of the war office. citiC
was his habit with any of the brill
leaders of the war after a visit to his
rtmcnt. - William jackson ARM ~
. 80 ~" AOAA WoFlu' Droc